What is green? Win a copy of "Green Baby"

We recycle and although we don't buy bottled water for our home, my husabnd buys it for himself as he is a long haul trucker. Each week he brings home his empty bottles so that we can recycle them. My son says we recycle because new stuff can be made with old stuff. He's six. We also

*Collect our lint from the dryer and take it outdoors for the birds to use as insulation in their nests.

*My son has a reuseable sports bottle for his juice and drinks. I hate buying those plastic bottled sports drinks and kids drinks.

*I try to buy soft drinks in cans so they can be recycled.

*stale bread, old honey, crackers things that are too stale or old to eat go outdoors for the squirrels, birds and bees.

We try each day to take steps to reuse and conserve. We walk when we can and drive an economy car.

Our oldest son was looking for a way to earn extra spending money, and is starting to save up for his first car. Very ambitious, since he's only 11! We suggested gathering aluminum cans, since we drink soda frequently, and so do his grandparents. He has made around $30 this summer!

Yes, having a baby has made me want to be green. I use cloth bags for groceries...the little flourescent light bulbs...method cleaning products...we bought a fridge with a water filter so we stopped buying bottled water all the time. Hmmm....we built our house with lots of porches and kept most of the trees around it to keep it cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer. I'm always looking for more ideas and look forward to hearing what everyone else is doing :)

We are now first time grandparents and have been practicing a green life since our daughter his mother was a babe. She is breast feeding, purchases local organic produce and carries a water bottle that she refills instead of the throwaway bottles of water.

My neice has decided to have an "organic baby" meaning she will only purchase organic clothes and bedding. I"m so proud of both of them and would love to share this book with them.

I've always been green, but having a baby made it even more important!

We recycle everything, so we only have to take the trash to the curb about once a month.
We make our own baby food using organic fruits and vegetables - often locally grown! I also breastfeed, which I think is one of the most important gifts that you can give your baby!
We use Dr Bronner's soap to bathe our baby with. My goal is to make all of our cleaners natural eventually!
We use very few scented items in the home at all!
We use Freecycle to get rid of items we aren't using anymore instead of throwing them away.
My husband rides his bike to work - as an added bonus he's lost a few pounds!

We hope to make this world a wonderful place for our daughter to grow up in!

We had someone install an intensive (expensive) water filtering system for our home earlier this year. I bought a second system off of someone on Craig's list to install to double filter the water in my refrigerator. Thus no more buying bottle water... I drink a lot of green tea so I save those bottles to bottle my filtered water to bring to our boat and for emergency supplies should a hurricane should hit my area - tampa bay.

I have purchased the cloth 99 cent bags from my local grocery store to cut down as to not engulf my home with plastic bags. When I have had to get cardboard boxes I did not buy them from U haul...as we needed some to help pack up our stuff in our recent remodeling ( a car hit our house in April). I went to the local Walmart at 1-2 am when they were stocking the shelves and had plenty of cardboard boxes to be had. I suggest this for anyone who wants to make Christmas ornaments with their children or to give their grandchildren.

I shop mainly at thrift stores, estate sales and yard sales. Not only is it cheaper, it is recycling. When my youngest was young, she protested, until I explained it was recycling. Today I bought an all in one plastic sink to use until we finish the kitchen, so I can have a sink and hook up my dishwasher. When I am done, I will pass it on and that sink will probably go through many hands. The lady who sold it to me for $25 had used it too, when she remodeled her kitchen.

I bought front loader machines last year, not only because I am disabled but because it uses less water, less electricity and the soap package for our home was better for the environment and will last us 5 years...dish soap, laundry soap, hand soap, shampoo, cleanser, the works. No worries about buying soap....messing up my new machines and good for the planet.

I try very had to find uses for things that would normally be thrown away. I had an old wood rolling tv stand that had no top...and a laundry basket with a busted handle...both bound for the garbage. I had my husband pull them off the garbage pill, screw the laundry basket into the rolling tv stand. It is the right height for me to pull the clothes out of my front loaders... making me more independent...and able to do a chore I couldn't do. I also found if I did lite grocery shopping I could use it to pull groceries in from the car, right into my kitchen and sit and put them away!

One of the other things we are doing in our home is to put in ceiling fans/w lights in as many rooms as we can so we can has less of an electric bill - less pull on our air conditioner.

We also make a lot of our drinks from mixes.

As far as my family, I am getting them to turn off lights, tvs and when I get my kitchen back, appliances except for those that have to be like the refrigerator will not be plugged in to use electricity for nothing.

That's all I can think of.

My daughter just had a baby and she buys all organic food and breastfeeds. She is very particular on what goes in her children and I have to say she greatly influenced many of my changes and if I won a book, she would get it.

Recycling is mandatory here in Erie, PA but one issue that came to light very recently is the number of containers being left in the landfills from the onslaught of bottled water now being used. We were huge culprits. My solution.... use some of the "empty" bottles and we now refill them using our new fridge that filters the water. End result is much, much less landfill use and a much more efficient fridge that replaced our one that was easily 20 years old or more!

Also, we use METHOD HOME PRODUCTS whenever we can. Method brand is an all natural product created for home. They have cleaning products, bath products, baby products and so much more! End result here.... less chemicals all around... on us, in our sewer systems and in our environment.

One of my own personal crusades was to replace nearly every light bulb in the house with compact fluorescents. My next step, when I have them slightly more readily available, are to replace most of those with LED bulbs! Saves on electric use AND landfill as the life span of these bulbs are much longer than a standard one!

My kids are 13 and 15. I don't think they made me become more green, it was always my inclination, though I've become more educated over time about various methods, of course.

I'm not taking a competitive approach to this, just listing some things that come to mind. Most of us could do more than we do, including me.

We recycle everything possible (including electronics) and give away working items and clothes that no longer fit to Council for the Blind and similar groups (Children's Home Society). We do not get new cell phones every two years even though we are eligible for them.

I've started riding my bike to work as much as possible (which hasn't been more than twice a week, so far).

We take our own bags to the grocery store, etc. I always say I don't need a bag, if possible.

I write a lot about environmental issues, often trying to make the science more understandable or show how to implement technology like solar power in a practical way. This happens here at Gather and at Chemistry for a sustainable world, Sustainability and the environment,
Solar Power lens and in my articles on Blogcritics magazine (a book review and an environmental article.

I've participated in research that eliminated a very large amount of toxic waste in the chemical industry- now practiced in China, S. Korea and Europe.

We've insulated the house more and added an EnergyStar door and windows.

I try to explain the issues to people here at Gather and at other sites like BlogCatalog. I submit environmentally-important stories at Hugg.com, DIGG, stumbleupon, del.icio.us, and a number of other sites.

We are replacing light bulbs as they go out. So far with CFLs, but probably with LEDs in the future.

I've talked to middle school classes about the environment, and hope to talk to High School students this year.

When we built our new house we used EnergyStar Windows/doors. We set the temperature on the thermostat higher in summer and lower in winter as well as use a Heat Pump system.

We recycle, cardboard, paper, plastic and aluminum cans. Which severely reduces how much garbage you put out!

We've replaced many of the lightbulbs in our home with non-florescent bulbs and have begun unplugging rarely used devices after learning that things such as cell phone chargers still draw minimal electricity even when they aren't being used.

We also drive compact cars and live close to work for now ... I also assist with the work recycling and environmental education program from time to time. It's rewarding to see people learn how much they can not only help the environment, but also help themselves in their pocketbooks by doing just a few simple things.

One last thing I have done is to save the water when I run it to warm up the baby's bottle. I use this water on the house plants instead of letting it run down the drain. ( I can't claim to have done it all the time because my plants don't need that much water).

I am also a fan of the Method cleaning products someone else brought up ... the mint tub/shower cleanser is wonderful!

We've been recycling bottles, and other plastics and aluminum for many years. I wash out the ziploc bags and reuse them many times. We recycle the newspapers, batteries, and other things too. I've begun using canvas bags for all kinds of shopping (or re-using the plastic shopping bags I do have) and I even reuse egg cartons. I freecycle instead of throwing things out, I've been using my Starbucks personal cup and I have them put my drinks in it instead of getting them in the paper or plastic cups. I even re-use those cups for planting seeds and such.

My next step is using more earth-friendly cleansers. I haven't done that yet.

I also try and re-use a lot of the packaging I get instead of buying new.

Every summer I grow a raised bed of tomatoes, chiles, herbs, and other vegetables and I grow them organically. The only pesticides used are in the neighbors next door. I use coffee grinds and egg shells to fortify the soil. I save them for months to use in the garden. The coffee grinds are very good for making the rhodedendron and azaleas healthy.

I'm sure there are other things I do but I can't remember them at this point.

All the light bulbs in our home are the energy efficient ones that last for 7 years or more! My son is 10 months old and we use only cloth diapers on him. We used cloth diapers on my daughter until she was 2. I recently switched to doing my laundry in cold water unless it is extremely filthy the clothes then I wash them in hot but I try not to have to do that to often. To cut down on using so much oil in the winter to heat our home we try to dress in layers instead and use thicker blankets at night. We turn off the water while brushing our teeth. I have been cooking anything in the microwave that I can instead of using the stove which uses propane. Any time something is not being used it is turned off and as often as we can we not only turn the item off but unplug it completely from the wall. Before having children it was only a slight interest about living green but now with 2 children I am so much more aware of the enviornment and want to give them a healthy earth and healthy bodies that I am trying to take every step I can to live green! I have a compost pile that I plan to make larger and larger as time goes on and produce my own organic compost/soil for a healthy garden. The only harsh thing we use to clean with is rubbing alcohol. Instead of driving in a car if I can walk there I will! Its great exercise and saves gas! I do not buy paper towels or disposable napkins we use rags and cloth napkins. I rarely buy disposable plates even for small parties I use regular plates that I can wash instead of throwing away!

We do recycle out aluminum cans as well as steel, batteries and paper. We use the paper as mulch in our raised gardens. We raise our own veggies and reuse baskets of various sizes to gather veggies and fruit in.

When our children were born, we used cloth diapers. We opted to breast feed over commercial formula. That was 28 years ago and now we use those same cloth diapers to clean with. We try to not use paper towels too much. In fact we use about one roll in a two month period.
We are using cloth napkins instead of paper.
We are also using reuseable bags for groceries. When we do get plastic bags at the market, we reuse them for garbage bags and other uses.
This is just a few of the things that we do on a regular basis. Being a country family - We have done this before Green Was even cool.

I'd like to think that we are a pretty green family. We recycle EVERYTHING we possibly can. We use all natural, eco friendly household cleaners, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. We buy absolutely NOTHING with harsh or harmful chemicals in it. All of our laundry detergent and cleaning products have the type of bottles where you just buy refills and don't have to buy a whole other package, so that saves in packaging material. We eat at least one meatless meal each week. We also buy almost 90% of our food organic (as much as we can afford).

We have 2 smart power strips that save a ton of energy and have lowered our power bills dramatically. Earlier in the year, our stove & oven caught fire and were replaced with an energy efficient model. Our Air Conditioner died a few weeks ago (it was 35 yrs old) and was replaced last weekend with a brand new energy efficient model that will save a ton of energy and money on our electric bill. Last winter, we were able to cut our gas usage by 44% on our power bill by simply using more blankets and turning on the heater less often.

The most important change we've made recently is in the purchase of 2 brand new bicycles. My husband stopped driving his gas-guzzling 20 year old SUV and now rides his bicycle to work every day. He rides 6 1/2 miles each way (a total of 13 miles a day) on his bike to and from work. It's saved us a ton of money in gas costs, has gotten him more healthy, and helped our planet at the same time. Also, I recently learned to ride a bike, and am planning to add a trailer to mine so that I can ride my bike to the grocery store with my 3 yr old in the trailer and save even more money on gas, while getting in shape and helping the planet too!

All of our light bulbs are the energy efficient ones also. We also unplug things when not in use. And, we do not run water when brushing our teeth or doing the dishes. We conserve water as well as energy.

Jill, what's a smart power strip?

Having Sam really opened our eyes up to the idea of things we can do to be green. I've always made my own baby food (and had lots of great recipes from Dk's own "Organic Baby & Toddler I got earlier this year). We got rid of those harsh chemical cleaners and began using things from Shaklee or making our own. We go to the store multiple times a week, walking there with the stroller. It allows us to get fresh meat and produce regularly while spending time as a family. We put the items we buy under the stroller seat so we don't need a bag. My husband and I both walk to work. Our employers are large for our area (500-ish employees at each location), but they have employee recycling programs. The idea of being "green" is huge right now.

Tabitha, a smart power strip is just like a regular surge protector, except that it's super energy efficient. Here's the description from one of them on amazon.com: Seven outlets work together, autoswitching your devices on/off automatically, to save you money on your electric bills. 1225 joules of surge protection keep your equipment safe from even the harshest power spikes. Conveniently-spaced outlets and a 45-degree, angled space saver plug make the Smart Strip a friendly addition to your electronic systems.

I first saw them featured on an episode of Oprah and started researching it. I bought one with some money I earned from an online survey and was amazed when my power bill was so much cheaper the next month, that I bought a second one!

Basically, one device is your "control" device. So, when you turn the control device on, the others plugged into the smart strip turn on. But when they're off, they're off, and drawing ZERO power. That saves a ton of money and energy because even when you're electronics are off, if they're plugged in, they're still using power. These smart strips eliminate that wasted power, plus while they're in use, they're using less power than if they were plugged into the wall.

Go to amazon.com and search for "smart power strip" and you'll see a bunch of different ones.

Instead of buying single serve bottled water, we use re-usable bottles.

Green is being good stewards of the Earth.

We also use cloth diapers, and we use an all natural soap called Charlie's Soap to wash our clothes with. I love the stuff! It saves on packaging as well, since you only need a teaspoon per load.

I also don't eat meat, which lowers my footprint a lot!

My icon is incontrovertible proof of my greenness.

We recycle everything - aluminum, paper, cardboard, plastic, glass...everything. It's second nature to our kids to recycle. As for the food, fruits and vegetables we eat are organic - I know because I grow it. lol. I have about 20 trees each of apples, peaches, pears, and plums. I also have about a 1/2 acre of grape vines and a nice plot of raspberries and blackberries. So, we never have to spend a penny for any of those things. When you recycle all of your things, you would be surprised at how little garbage you have left. Even with 8 of us, we only end up with a couple of really small bags.

Another thing that I do (I irritate my wife with this one! ...and she's big into green management) is that I watch my electric and try to keep an eye on my load management. This could save you alot of money and I would suggest anyone check it out. Also, check in and see what kind of meter you have on your house - there are a couple different kinds...you want to stay away from "Demand" meters. I suggest anyone do some research and check this out online and see what you're options are.

...and another thing I do is burn wood in the winter.

I have several green blogs I write. My most popular one is http://inventorspot.com/writers/glorias_green. My family recycles what our program will pick up, plastic and paper. I shop at thrift stores, consignment stores and so on for used clothing for my children, etc. I'm six months pregnant and the crib set plus the swing I have for my baby are second hand. I buy organic food when I can. I freecycle and craighslist. We do what we can when we can to live greener but we aren't perfect.

I only drive when absalutely necessary. When I do errands, I try to combine them as best I can and I plan my route out ahead of time to get the maximim amount of stops in with out having to retrace my path.

My family has always been green, but having new grandbabies makes it even more important!

here are my tips on how we live lightly on the Earth and save money at the same time and now it is second nature to be practical while going green.

We recycle everything!
We make our own baby food using organic fruits and vegetables - often locally grown!
We Purify our Indoors. s with Plants
We also save energy to save money we heat with wood and use an ondemand Propane hot water system
We use compact fluorescent light bulbs
We also never bought bottled water Skip the bottled water. but if we must we use an old fashined thermos filled with water.
I also instilled in all of my kids and know my grands to Think before you buy. And to that end we go online to find new or gently used secondhand products
WE Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.
We also Borrow instead of buying as often as possible.
Borrow from libraries instead of buying personal books and movies.
We also Share power tools and other appliances.
And we Buy smart by Buying in bulk

Cloth diapers are not as green as people think. Most disposables actually have less of an environmental impact than cloth, due to the water and energy used to clean cloth diapers.

We recycle everything we can.

Combine trips to save gas.

Use CFL bulbs.

Cold water for laundry.

As appliances are replace we get Energy Star.

NO bottled water.

I am started a worm farm for vermi-composting.

We buy local produce - it's not just green, it's tasty! We also do a lot of re-using. Fabric works just as well (sometimes better) as disposable stuff and it washes!

I think about this every time I go to the grocery store, turn on a light or take a shower. I just try to use less. I always bring reusable bags to the grocery store. I never leave a light on. I take short showers. All in an effort to just use less and create less waste. If everyone did this, we could start to slow the effects of our wasteful ways.

I'd have to disagree on the diapering issue Lesli. Those studies didn't account for the highly efficient washing machines available today. It also doesn't account for any harm caused to the children from the chemicals in the diapers. Additionally, they don't account for the fact that children who use cloth diapers tend to become potty trained more quickly than those using diapers, since they can fill when they are wet.

My cloth diaper inserts are made from hemp, not cotton. Hemp is an easily renewable resource with very little environmental impact. Additionally, if we have another child we will use these diapers for them as well. If we don't, we will sell the diapers to someone else, so they will get plenty of use!

Hi Everyone – I'm so impressed by all these posts. How heartening it is to see so many parents and grandparents out there making a difference. There are some great green tips here - my favorites are all the mentions of thrift stores (I've been addicted to them since childhood!) and freecycling. And Shannon's R's advice to unplug electronic items completely when they're not being used. But maybe April H. sums up my thoughts best - just 'thinking before you buy' may make the biggest difference of all. Thanks for mentioning hemp as well, April. As well as being great for the soil, this fabric washes fantastically well and is soft as silk on baby skin (it even gets softer the more you wash it, like bamboo fabric, which has equally good eco credentials). My cloth diapers washed so well at low temperature that I used the same ones on my three daughters in turn, saving money as well as space in landfill sites.
Keep up the good work everyone!

We purchase food from the farmers market when we can. Our local farmers market is organic and about 50-60% of the sellers are Amish. We purchase only natural cleaners or make our own - baking soda is a great cleaner as well as vinegar. We drive less, take lots of walks together as a family. I tried EC (elimination communication) when my son was younger, to try to cut back on the use of disposable diapers, but it didn't work great for us. I always wanted to get him into cloth diapers, but that too didn't work for us :(

I breastfeed my son, so we didn't use plastic bottles (or any bottles for that matter). Most of the toys that my son has came from re-sale shops. The items are still in very good condition, and we are re-using something that would otherwise end up in a land-fill. I also participate with FreeCycle, CheapCycle, eBay, Craigslist, and other web-sites to save money and the environment. Paperback swap is a great way to share books that you no longer want.

Oh, and this year was the first time I planted potatoes and tomatoes. My son loves to eat tomatoes; we go out to pick tomatoes almost daily now and he will sneak a bite or two from a ripe tomato. The green ones, I've been making green tomato pie from. We also have a walnut tree and a peach tree that we got fruit from this year.

Congratulations to Heather Campbell and Chuck M.! You're both getting copies of Green Baby.

Congrats to the winners.